Hero soldier marks TA anniversary

Hero soldier Luke Cole has met the most senior member of Britain’s armed forces at an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army.

And the 22-year-old from Wolverhampton revealed he is well on the road to recovery and no longer needs a walking stick as he recovers from the terrible injuries he suffered in Afghanistan.

Pte Cole, a forklift driver, was shot twice but refused treatment so he could beat off a bid by the enemy to grab the body of a comrade killed in battle – Private Johan Botha, 25 – as a sick trophy.  

He lost five inches of bone after being hit in the left thigh and was also wounded in the stomach in the attack in October last year. In March the hero received the MiIitary Cross for his gallantry and was the first TA soldier to receive it in 15 years. Yesterday Pte Cole, from Bradmore, was invited to London’s Guildhall to attend the 100th anniversary of the Territorial Army and a service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

He met General Sir Richard Dannatt, chief of general staff, who is the highest ranking officer of the army.

He is currently on leave from Henley Court military rehabilitation centre where he is receiving treatment and will have to return there for an operation in September or October to replace a pin in his leg and close the hole in his stomach. 

He said that he is now able to perform a number of duties whenever he goes to the Territorial Army Centre in Fallings Park. “I’m on leave for another couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to going back. Although it’s rehab the atmosphere is the same as the army base,” he said.

“General Sir Richard Dannatt asked to speak to me and we just chatted for about 20 minutes. 

“He’s really down to earth and was asking me how I was getting on.

“I still don’t feel like I have done anything out of the ordinary because I was just doing my job but I do feel very honoured to have been awarded the Military Cross. It’s on display in Buckingham Palace now.”

Pte Cole’s mother Elaine and father George, aged 48, work for Wolverhampton City Council and they have two other sons, one of whom is a serving soldier with the Royal Artillery.